July 11, 2005

Thailand hit by deadly bird flu again

With just a day to go before Thailand is declared bird-flu free on Jul 12, the country is once again struck by the H5N1 pathogenic bird flu, this time in chickens and fighting cocks.

The new cases occurred at four different places in the central Suphanburi province of Thailand, and were found through the department's x-ray surveillance program, according to Nirandorn Engtrakoolsuk, head of Thailand's Disease Control and Veterinary Service Bureau at the livestock department.

Movements of fowls within a 10-km radius have been banned and 450 fowls have since been destroyed.

Livestock Department Chief Yukol Limlamthong pointed out that the new cases are from a previous outbreak.

The department will also be checking if this bird flu is the cause of the large number of deaths in fowls in six other Thai provinces recently.

With this discovery, Thailand will have to wait at least another three months before it can be declared bird-flu free. It also means that Thailand's multibillion-dollar chicken export industry will not be able to export its raw chickens still. The bird flu, however, does not affect the exports of cooked chickens.

The deadly strain of bird flu H5N1 has claimed more than 50 lives in Asia since its first outbreak in 2003, including 12 people in Thailand.